Why are dealers so clueless?
07-12-2013, 01:08 AM
#21
Melting Slicks
Thanks to the OP for the story and lessons learned. I totally agree about most dealers not having a clue, and your experience mirrored my own. Except I called something like 6-8 dealers in my area before reaching out to a "real" Corvette dealer.
All I can say is thank goodness I came to my senses and contacted Dave from Kerbeck's in Atlantic City. Everything has been handled extremely professionally, and with no drama or cluelessness. Dave has been a saint in answering all my annoyingly detailed questions. I send off an e-mail and get a response within minutes. Dave knows exactly how Corvette owners think and act, like how yesterday he said when speaking about the need to order the front license plate bracket (for my NJ order) he never attaches it unless the customer asks him to. That's how I roll!
All I can say is thank goodness I came to my senses and contacted Dave from Kerbeck's in Atlantic City. Everything has been handled extremely professionally, and with no drama or cluelessness. Dave has been a saint in answering all my annoyingly detailed questions. I send off an e-mail and get a response within minutes. Dave knows exactly how Corvette owners think and act, like how yesterday he said when speaking about the need to order the front license plate bracket (for my NJ order) he never attaches it unless the customer asks him to. That's how I roll!
07-12-2013, 03:28 AM
#22
Le Mans Master
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Second, I didn't want to waste my time or the salesmen's time if there was no information available. At the time, I had no idea if you could even order one or you had to wait for them to show up at the dealer. I wasn't even sure if they were going to get any. I just wanted to know if I should stop by. I said that in my email very clearly.
Third, there's simply no excuse to not follow up on an email inquiry from their own website or return a phone call. Sorry, that's just plain bad business no matter what you're selling. I got the idea after a while that either they didn't care a whole lot about one guy buying one car or their organization was so poor, I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with it.
Sure, I could have stopped in and asked the first salesman I saw. But I'm quite sure we would have both wasted some time in doing so. And, most likely, he would have said come back later when they get the info -- and then never follow up on their side.
The world works from email, websites, and cell phones now. If you can't handle the new technology, don't be surprised if your competition does -- and steals your business away.
07-12-2013, 03:57 AM
#23
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The one and only reason I am having to deal with a local dealership over one that is on these boards is due to having a trade in car this time around. That is the only reason I would much rather deal with one on here if I had it my way.
07-12-2013, 05:53 AM
#25
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If you are dealing with a local Chevrolet dealer and you are serious then go see them and take your check book. Forget e-mail and voice messages. Forum dealers are different in most cases.
Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge salesmen are poorly equipped or trained and usually hand you a business card that he has written his name on. He won't be there next week.
Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge salesmen are poorly equipped or trained and usually hand you a business card that he has written his name on. He won't be there next week.
07-12-2013, 06:47 AM
#26
Safety Car
A lot of experts I see. 
Does everyone know who Toll Brothers are? Has anyone read the horror stories about this company? Let's scale it down to the local plumber/carpenter/electrician/landscaper/roofer/mason/waiter/deli owner/etc.
I'm not saying some businesses don't lack within their own staffing but geez it is every walk of life out there. If there was a Home Depot forum some of you'd be on there complaining about the staff there too, give it a rest. It's 2013, if you can't figure out the best way to buy a car, well you know the rest...
Does everyone know who Toll Brothers are? Has anyone read the horror stories about this company? Let's scale it down to the local plumber/carpenter/electrician/landscaper/roofer/mason/waiter/deli owner/etc.
I'm not saying some businesses don't lack within their own staffing but geez it is every walk of life out there. If there was a Home Depot forum some of you'd be on there complaining about the staff there too, give it a rest. It's 2013, if you can't figure out the best way to buy a car, well you know the rest...
07-12-2013, 07:25 AM
#27
Race Director
I only use forum dealers...
07-12-2013, 07:48 AM
#28
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St. Jude Donor '15
I am very lucky here, my dealership has a bunch of good guys in sales, they are all following the owners lead. You know that the man is a Corvette lover when you see his 53 on display in the showroom. So the sales guys, most of whom don't know much about the Corvette, are very willing to help and will get the information that you need. They all know that to be successful you need to pay attention to what the customer is saying. I wish you all the same kind of care I have received from this dealership.
07-12-2013, 08:02 AM
#30
Le Mans Master
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A lot of experts I see.
Does everyone know who Toll Brothers are? Has anyone read the horror stories about this company? Let's scale it down to the local plumber/carpenter/electrician/landscaper/roofer/mason/waiter/deli owner/etc.
I'm not saying some businesses don't lack within their own staffing but geez it is every walk of life out there. If there was a Home Depot forum some of you'd be on there complaining about the staff there too, give it a rest. It's 2013, if you can't figure out the best way to buy a car, well you know the rest...
Does everyone know who Toll Brothers are? Has anyone read the horror stories about this company? Let's scale it down to the local plumber/carpenter/electrician/landscaper/roofer/mason/waiter/deli owner/etc.
I'm not saying some businesses don't lack within their own staffing but geez it is every walk of life out there. If there was a Home Depot forum some of you'd be on there complaining about the staff there too, give it a rest. It's 2013, if you can't figure out the best way to buy a car, well you know the rest...
And, not in a good way.
Lets see if I get this right.
Dealers who have websites that ask you to ask the dealer for information don't need to answer emails they get from customers.
Salespeople who have been left a phone message don't need to return calls.
Yep... that will help get them more sales. "Give it up".
Last edited by Sin City; 07-12-2013 at 08:10 AM.
07-12-2013, 08:44 AM
#31
Instructor
Unfortunately we are our own worst enemy. The dealerships don't have to work for your business. The new C7 frenzy is just amazing. I got caught up in it and contacted three forum dealers about possibly ordering a convertible. One of my e mails was sent back as spam (from a forum dealership with high praises on this site) another one just didn't answer at all and the last one the farthest distance away for me answered my questions in twenty minutes. Guess who gets my business when I'm ready. Just image if no one ordered a C7 at MSRP do you think then we would be able to purchase at a discount? There would be a lot of C7 Corvettes sitting in dealership lots. That is why we are our own worst enemy we accept what they want to charge without any service to have it first at whatever price. They don't care about you the buyer because they know someone else will buy it at their price without any service. Now I think I'm going to sit back not pursue it until the dust settles.
07-12-2013, 09:27 AM
#32
Melting Slicks
However if it is a small local dealer, go directly to the dealership and ask for the General Sales Manager and state your wants, they will eventually assign a salesman to you but make your self known to the GSM and that usually keeps the salesman on their toes.
Did that here with my local dealer (14 units 6~9 mos) and was placed 1st on list for first allocation, I can go in any time and they will update me on the WO status (still at 3000)
It appears some dealers just don't know what good customer service is.
07-12-2013, 10:10 AM
#33
Melting Slicks
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However if it is a small local dealer, go directly to the dealership and ask for the General Sales Manager and state your wants, they will eventually assign a salesman to you but make your self known to the GSM and that usually keeps the salesman on their toes.
Did that here with my local dealer (14 units 6~9 mos) and was placed 1st on list for first allocation, I can go in any time and they will update me on the WO status (still at 3000)
It appears some dealers just don't know what good customer service is.
I asked to talk to the inventory manager. I have dealt with him, not a salesman, and it went well. Placed my order, when my number came up it was submitted. I am at 2000 as of today.
07-12-2013, 10:17 AM
#34
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One thing that you have to remember is that many dealerships are short sighted, ie they only care about cars that are being sold and delivered this month. Many of them could care less about ordeding a car that they won't sell for six months. One reason for that is many of the sales guys who would take an order for a car won't even be there in six months to collect the commision from the sale.
Most (not all) dealerships are driving by the number of sales this month. IMO it is short sighted and does not lead to long term success. That is why the forum dealers are great to deal with. They know that taking these orders today will deliver huge sales for them in 3 to 6 months. They look at the long term.
Most (not all) dealerships are driving by the number of sales this month. IMO it is short sighted and does not lead to long term success. That is why the forum dealers are great to deal with. They know that taking these orders today will deliver huge sales for them in 3 to 6 months. They look at the long term.
07-12-2013, 10:30 AM
#35
Former Vendor
Yeah, what's wrong with a personal visit? It's an important purchase and worth some time.
A couple weeks ago I happened to be in the Cary NC area so I made sure to drop in at Hendrick Chevy and see if anybody could tell me for sure when a C7 demo would show up. Pretty soon Milos Sainovic, Internet Sales Manager, came out to talk with me for half an hour about C7s. They're pretty much sold out of their 25 coupe allocations but have plenty of vert slots. Scott Little spent another 15 minutes inputting my Z51 vert wish list and saving it for the next time I have a thousand bucks.
Milos said they're selling at MSRP, no more, no less, because that's what all other Forum dealers are doing. He has some interest from faraway people whose local dealers are all wanting juice, like 10-15k.
If you go to a dealer at a non-busy time and still can't get anybody to take you seriously, get over it and move on to another of the 900 dealers who will.
A couple weeks ago I happened to be in the Cary NC area so I made sure to drop in at Hendrick Chevy and see if anybody could tell me for sure when a C7 demo would show up. Pretty soon Milos Sainovic, Internet Sales Manager, came out to talk with me for half an hour about C7s. They're pretty much sold out of their 25 coupe allocations but have plenty of vert slots. Scott Little spent another 15 minutes inputting my Z51 vert wish list and saving it for the next time I have a thousand bucks.
Milos said they're selling at MSRP, no more, no less, because that's what all other Forum dealers are doing. He has some interest from faraway people whose local dealers are all wanting juice, like 10-15k.
If you go to a dealer at a non-busy time and still can't get anybody to take you seriously, get over it and move on to another of the 900 dealers who will.
07-12-2013, 10:46 AM
#36
Instructor
However if it is a small local dealer, go directly to the dealership and ask for the General Sales Manager and state your wants, they will eventually assign a salesman to you but make your self known to the GSM and that usually keeps the salesman on their toes.
Did that here with my local dealer (14 units 6~9 mos) and was placed 1st on list for first allocation, I can go in any time and they will update me on the WO status (still at 3000)
It appears some dealers just don't know what good customer service is.
). The salesman hooked me up with the Workbench expert and she has answered every little question. I am very happy with my local dealer 
.
Last edited by markei; 07-12-2013 at 10:48 AM. Reason: spelling!
07-12-2013, 10:52 AM
#37
Burning Brakes
I've also been impressed by Milos' communications and reliability at Hendricks in Cary. I had one of the very early deposits in their system and was feeling adrift and out of the loop until he returned from time out of the office. Since then he has kept me updated and projected a sense that he has a personal interest in the order and making sure everything goes right. As with so many retail operations, it's often down to finding a single employee who takes on customer satisfaction as a priority.
07-12-2013, 10:59 AM
#38
Le Mans Master
Maybe not all dealers are like this but this was my experience.
When the C7 convertible was shown at Geneva, I tried to figure out how to buy one. So, I went on the website of my local dealer and tried to see if I could make contact with anyone to talk about how to get one.
No answer for weeks.
I sent another. No answer.
Then a few weeks later, I get an email saying that I should call this number and talk to this salesperson. Yippee! Contact. So, I call the number. I leave a voice mail.
Two days later, I get another voice mail saying they were responding to my request.
I called back like 5 minutes later, left another voice mail saying I wanted to buy a C7 convertible. Left my number again just in case.
NOTHING. No further contact by phone.
I'm like: What kind of salesperson never calls back? Do you want my business or not? At that point, I gave up with this dealer.
I come here and find Mike Furman @ Criswell. In less than 30 minutes he responds to my email, we talk on the phone, and I place a deposit. No drama. Easy. My blood pressure immediately drops as one issue is settled in my life.
Then next week, I get another email inviting me to come by on Saturday, have a free hot dog, and see some of their Chevy Trucks.
Ok, fast forward to today.
I get another email from my dealer saying I contacted them in February and wanted to know if I was still interested in buying a Corvette. It's a form letter sort of deal-- not too personal. There's a little survey that asking if I am still interested and if not, why.
Guess what I wrote.
Here's my take. I think a lot of Chevy dealers do not understand how to sell Corvettes. The typical Vette buyer is not "shopping around" between a Ford Focus and a Chevy Cruze. He's decided he wants one but wants to know more about the specific car, what it costs, what it comes with, and how to get one.
I think the dealers can't adjust their brains to figure out what makes Vette owners tick. There so used to working one way, that a car like this forces them to either think or act differently than the norm.
It's uncomfortable for them.
Well, that's my take. It's disappointing as I like to work with local businesses but when they can't do their job right, I move on.
When the C7 convertible was shown at Geneva, I tried to figure out how to buy one. So, I went on the website of my local dealer and tried to see if I could make contact with anyone to talk about how to get one.
No answer for weeks.
I sent another. No answer.
Then a few weeks later, I get an email saying that I should call this number and talk to this salesperson. Yippee! Contact. So, I call the number. I leave a voice mail.
Two days later, I get another voice mail saying they were responding to my request.
I called back like 5 minutes later, left another voice mail saying I wanted to buy a C7 convertible. Left my number again just in case.
NOTHING. No further contact by phone.
I'm like: What kind of salesperson never calls back? Do you want my business or not? At that point, I gave up with this dealer.
I come here and find Mike Furman @ Criswell. In less than 30 minutes he responds to my email, we talk on the phone, and I place a deposit. No drama. Easy. My blood pressure immediately drops as one issue is settled in my life.
Then next week, I get another email inviting me to come by on Saturday, have a free hot dog, and see some of their Chevy Trucks.
Ok, fast forward to today.
I get another email from my dealer saying I contacted them in February and wanted to know if I was still interested in buying a Corvette. It's a form letter sort of deal-- not too personal. There's a little survey that asking if I am still interested and if not, why.
Guess what I wrote.
Here's my take. I think a lot of Chevy dealers do not understand how to sell Corvettes. The typical Vette buyer is not "shopping around" between a Ford Focus and a Chevy Cruze. He's decided he wants one but wants to know more about the specific car, what it costs, what it comes with, and how to get one.
I think the dealers can't adjust their brains to figure out what makes Vette owners tick. There so used to working one way, that a car like this forces them to either think or act differently than the norm.
It's uncomfortable for them.
Well, that's my take. It's disappointing as I like to work with local businesses but when they can't do their job right, I move on.
07-12-2013, 11:06 AM
#39
Burning Brakes
Same type thing happened to me. I went to Viva Chevrolet in El Paso, and told them I wanted to buy a C7 corvette last April. They told me they would get me the information on this car, and "Get right back with me." I never heard back from them. I had bought a new black Camaro, pictured at left, from them last Sept.
They said I was a good customer for them, and that they definitely wanted to sell me this C7 corvette. Since they never got back with me, I called Mike Furman @ Criswell. With Mike there was no drama. He would sell me the car. So I sent him a $1000 deposit check. Viva missed out on a very easy sell. I thought Viva was in business to make money. I guess I thought wrong.
They said I was a good customer for them, and that they definitely wanted to sell me this C7 corvette. Since they never got back with me, I called Mike Furman @ Criswell. With Mike there was no drama. He would sell me the car. So I sent him a $1000 deposit check. Viva missed out on a very easy sell. I thought Viva was in business to make money. I guess I thought wrong.
When I did some checking for X, they didn't quite know how to react when I asked for the corvette specialist. Then they wanted to know all about my vette. mileage and so forth. They offered me a 4LT VY C7 they had comming in "soon." Already ordered...... I don't trust the local dealers here either, no matter the make. Even the one with the Vette expert in the local club.
07-12-2013, 11:13 AM
#40
Safety Car
Maybe not all dealers are like this but this was my experience.
When the C7 convertible was shown at Geneva, I tried to figure out how to buy one. So, I went on the website of my local dealer and tried to see if I could make contact with anyone to talk about how to get one.
No answer for weeks.
I sent another. No answer.
Then a few weeks later, I get an email saying that I should call this number and talk to this salesperson. Yippee! Contact. So, I call the number. I leave a voice mail.
Two days later, I get another voice mail saying they were responding to my request.
I called back like 5 minutes later, left another voice mail saying I wanted to buy a C7 convertible. Left my number again just in case.
NOTHING. No further contact by phone.
I'm like: What kind of salesperson never calls back? Do you want my business or not? At that point, I gave up with this dealer.
I come here and find Mike Furman @ Criswell. In less than 30 minutes he responds to my email, we talk on the phone, and I place a deposit. No drama. Easy. My blood pressure immediately drops as one issue is settled in my life.
Then next week, I get another email inviting me to come by on Saturday, have a free hot dog, and see some of their Chevy Trucks.
Ok, fast forward to today.
I get another email from my dealer saying I contacted them in February and wanted to know if I was still interested in buying a Corvette. It's a form letter sort of deal-- not too personal. There's a little survey that asking if I am still interested and if not, why.
Guess what I wrote.
Here's my take. I think a lot of Chevy dealers do not understand how to sell Corvettes. The typical Vette buyer is not "shopping around" between a Ford Focus and a Chevy Cruze. He's decided he wants one but wants to know more about the specific car, what it costs, what it comes with, and how to get one.
I think the dealers can't adjust their brains to figure out what makes Vette owners tick. There so used to working one way, that a car like this forces them to either think or act differently than the norm.
It's uncomfortable for them.
Well, that's my take. It's disappointing as I like to work with local businesses but when they can't do their job right, I move on.
When the C7 convertible was shown at Geneva, I tried to figure out how to buy one. So, I went on the website of my local dealer and tried to see if I could make contact with anyone to talk about how to get one.
No answer for weeks.
I sent another. No answer.
Then a few weeks later, I get an email saying that I should call this number and talk to this salesperson. Yippee! Contact. So, I call the number. I leave a voice mail.
Two days later, I get another voice mail saying they were responding to my request.
I called back like 5 minutes later, left another voice mail saying I wanted to buy a C7 convertible. Left my number again just in case.
NOTHING. No further contact by phone.
I'm like: What kind of salesperson never calls back? Do you want my business or not? At that point, I gave up with this dealer.
I come here and find Mike Furman @ Criswell. In less than 30 minutes he responds to my email, we talk on the phone, and I place a deposit. No drama. Easy. My blood pressure immediately drops as one issue is settled in my life.
Then next week, I get another email inviting me to come by on Saturday, have a free hot dog, and see some of their Chevy Trucks.
Ok, fast forward to today.
I get another email from my dealer saying I contacted them in February and wanted to know if I was still interested in buying a Corvette. It's a form letter sort of deal-- not too personal. There's a little survey that asking if I am still interested and if not, why.
Guess what I wrote.
Here's my take. I think a lot of Chevy dealers do not understand how to sell Corvettes. The typical Vette buyer is not "shopping around" between a Ford Focus and a Chevy Cruze. He's decided he wants one but wants to know more about the specific car, what it costs, what it comes with, and how to get one.
I think the dealers can't adjust their brains to figure out what makes Vette owners tick. There so used to working one way, that a car like this forces them to either think or act differently than the norm.
It's uncomfortable for them.
Well, that's my take. It's disappointing as I like to work with local businesses but when they can't do their job right, I move on.
Have you ever heard the phrase "buyers are liars"? Deal with it every day and see how you feel.If nothing else I'm glad Mike got the business, he is a true enthusiast and his sincerity is top notch. Good luck with your vert...